Jana Pittman her entire family proposed!
The Olympian was overcome with joy at her big surprise
On the running track, champion hurdler Jana Pittman had a reputation for being hard as nails. Her steely glare and towering frame would intimidate all in her orbit and in retirement, the driven mum-of-three admits not much has changed.
But when a family ski holiday turned into an all too adorable wedding proposal recently, the
36-year-old 36- year- old Olympian simply melted. “It was meant to be a quick three-day getaway with the family to Thredbo after an intense six months at university,” says Jana, who is in her final year of a five-year degree in medicine.
“I went to the top of the slope with my son Cornelis, while my partner Steve minded my girls Emily and Jemima.
“We skied down, and I noticed my daughters were wearing white tops. As I got closer, I saw that Jemima’s said, ‘Mummy, please marry Daddely Steve,’ and Emily’s said, ‘Mummy, please say yes.’”
WILL YOU MARRY ME?
The man behind the elaborate proposal was the love of Jana’s life, Steve Short, who works in corporate maintenance for a large supermarket chain.
He produced a bunch of flowers, sank to one knee and said, “I love you and want to be with you for the rest of my life, will you marry me?”
So shocked was the former world champion, she forgot to answer at first, but when she finally let out an excited, “Yes!” everyone cheered, including 12-year-old Cornelis, who’d sneakily donned his own shirt saying, “Mum, marry that man!!”
Steve, 45, and “Emily”, Jana’s pseudonym, met almost three years ago on a dating website and hit it off immediately. The father-of-two and grandad-ofone had no idea he was chatting to a famous athlete until he showed Jana’s photo to his sister, who couldn’t believe he hadn’t recognised her.
“We fell for each other quite quickly, but over the years we’d break up a lot, too,” Jana says. “It was mainly my fault – I was too broken from previous relationships and I kept looking for holes in this one.”
LETTING GO OF THE PAST
Jana previously married and divorced her former coach and Cornelis’ dad Chris Rawlinson twice, before going on to announce her engagement to IT consultant Rajiv Chaudhri in April 2017, shortly after the birth of two-year-old Emily who, like four-year-old Jemima, was conceived via an anonymous sperm donor.
Her romance with Rajiv came to an end soon after, but with Steve, Jana says things are very different and they’re both incredibly dedicated to their life together.
“About three months ago, we decided to stop mucking around and stay together no matter what,” Jana says.
Although the couple are remaining tight-lipped about their big day, they plan to wed later this year. “Steve is an amazing man,” Jana gushes.
“He doesn’t mind that
I’ve had two children through IVF with an anonymous donor, and I had Cornelis with my first husband.
“He loves me unconditionally and I love how that brings out my softer side,” she says.
‘He loves me unconditionally … that brings out my softer side’